THE Philippines has no cooperative arrangement with Taiwan to protect subsea cables, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) clarified on Monday, following claims Manila and Taipei are cooperating to address “gray-zone” activity.
“The department clarifies that there is no cooperative arrangement with Taiwan on subsea cables or other critical undersea infrastructure,” the DFA said in a statement via WhatsApp.
According to a Reuters report, Felipe F. Cariño III, deputy chief of mission at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, underscored the importance of protecting undersea cables in the region where “60-67% of cyber incidents happen.”
Mr. Cariño was quoted as saying that Manila is exploring “deeper cooperation” with Taipei, to protect undersea cables as well as in addressing “gray-zone issues” in the region.
The DFA said there “was no mention of gray-zone activity cooperation with Taiwan” at a seminar hosted by the Center for a New American Security on Oct. 21.
In a Facebook post on Oct. 23, the Chinese Embassy in Manila shared the comments of Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning during a press conference on Oct. 22.
Ms. Mao said there is no “gray zone on the Taiwan question” and Manila must abide by the “One China Policy” through concrete actions.
“External interactions of China’s Taiwan region should be handled in strict accordance with the one China principle,” she added.
Manila continues to adhere to its longstanding One China Policy, recognizing the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China, the DFA said, noting it previously outlined the policy in a separate Oct. 22 release.
The Philippines and China have overlapping claims in the South China Sea, where Beijing asserts jurisdiction over most of the waterway based on its nine-dash line map. China also considers Taiwan part of its territory. – Francessca S. Abalos